Saturday, June 02, 2007

It's Just Not Fair

Thanks to all the faithful folks who have been missing my blog this week. It has been a rough week to be sure. Our dog got very ill - distemper- and should have died. God had tremendous grace on her though and she is well now and eating everything in sight. My girls' travel plans have been tumultuous. We are trying to bring them back from boarding school but we could not get ticket confirmation until Friday- one week before they are supposed to fly. The stress was very great and our faith tested but He is faithful and Goldberry and Luthien are due to arrive next Friday at Midnight!
There is lots more going on as well but here is this week's story.

Kili went to Ithilian to see his father last month. He has been a believer for one year now and we wondered how he would present himself back home. Would he keep quiet? Would he be faithful? It would be a difficult test to be sure. He reached the capital of Ithilian and found that his younger sister was in the hospital and was very ill. He prayed for her in Jesus name. The doctors and nurses rebuked him but he proclaimed Christ to them. He then went to Gimli and Galadrial's house and met them for Sunday morning meeting. He wanted to go up to his father's village the next day and coincidentally (hah!) Gimli was going there to check on a project so they went together. Kili stayed for about a month. Early on in the month a neighbor died and a large funeral took place in the village. Kili stood up before them all and told them that they were all blinded to the truth. The Truth was Jesus and he proclaimed Christ loudly. Later that week four men approached Kili. He said that he could tell immediately that they were believers. He asked them if they met together to study and worship regularly and they said they did. He ask them how they came to faith and they said that Bill had come last year and told them about Jesus and had given them a New Testament. We cut in on his story. Bill? Bill Ferney? Bill Ferney the guitar player? Yes, that was him. But he isn't a believer! Frodo and Merry have known Bill for years and have shared much with him but he has always resisted the Gospel. Now we find out that he has been used of the King to bring four men into the Kingdom in a place that is completely dark- no Church and no witness except for the occasional visits by Gimli. My first reaction? It just isn't fair. We work hard, we share our faith, we serve, we pray and we strategize and in the end the King uses a coward like Bill who does not have the courage to stand up for Jesus in his own home to bring glory to Himself. It's almost as if God deserves all the glory, honor, and praise for the work that is going on in all the world today. I can live with that. To God alone be the glory. SDG. Oh, and I guess I am saying that if Bill can be used so can you and so can I. Let's be about the work of the Kingdom. It's coming!

4 comments:

Tim Patterson said...

Strider,

This is a good reminder that we are on God's mission and He chooses how that mission will be accomplished. Amazing how He even uses non-believers to spread His glory!

Anonymous said...

Yes, and His Kingdom is already here! Christ in us - the Hope of glory!

Wow, God is a mystery, isn't He - using whomever He will, however He wills - and without asking us! :)

It just goes to show, He is the One that builds His church! What a relief He doesn't depend on us! ;)

BKC said...

This is too much. Balaam, King Cyrus, and now this Bill guy. Not the plan I would draw up, for sure. I would have had someone else bring the Word to those guys--like me :)

In all seriousness, praise God for these four guys and may He keep them, by His grace, until eternity. And praise God that He is not limited by our plans and ideas of who is worthy to be used.

Debbie Kaufman said...

Wow Strider, between this and Bryan's post today I have been doubly blessed. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.